Most emotionally-scarring childhood experience?

What a waste of delicious lamb chops.

What do you mean? He was delicious, with a nice chianti.

I mean, you didn't save me some.

Thankfully, gus, the lambs are silent.

As a former youth soccer coach, this the part that horrifies me.
I've spent a lot of time on the practice fields with kids whose parents
were late, but I've never left a kid there alone.

Yeah, it amazes me that he took off like that. My guess is if he tried that today he would get crucified by the parents.

Has in not occurred to anyone that jpin was left there on purpose? That the parents and coaches were all in on the grand conspiracy to eliminate the brat once and for all.

Then that idiot has to let jpin use the phone.

Oh yeah, my parents forgot to pick me up at gymnastics one winter night. I didn't want the coaches to have to wait around, so I hid behind a snow bank. When I relaized I was being silly, I started to walk home. I walked in our back door, slammed it, and stomped up stairs to my bedroom (the door of which I also slammed). I was prolly 12-13.

That was a very good move on your part, littlek -- the slamming of the door. It sent a message to your parents that

A.) Your were very angry

B.) You were clearly in charge


Your parents learned a valuable lesson that night.

I used to get dropped off after school by the carpool mom du jour at the doctor's office for a weekly allergy shot. My dad would pick me up on his way home from work. One winter day the office was closed for no apparent reason. The hour wait on the sidewalk was pretty damn chilly. I think I sat on my bookbag and tried to read. I was about 10 - and too afraid to walk away from the familiar building to try and find a phone. I'd completely forgotten that day until all of your abandonment stories brought it back!

edgar, it's apparent to me that none of these good people saw the film Ray.

I saw Ray, Mac, but felt it best to let edgar have his moment in the sun.

I couldn't to the same for dear msolga, however, when she fell for Tico's shameless plagiarism of Thomas Harris.

At first, I thought Msolga was just playing along! Wicked Tico.

I'm used to my humor being refused, Mac. It's the price we pay for our genius.

Nah, actually a too-sheltered msolga, mac! For some reason I was put off seeing the film & never did! Strange, when everyone else but you (meaning me!) knows the story & gets the joke. I was truly, deeply moved at what poor Tico went through as delicate young child!
However, my geese killing story was 100% true! Ugh.

There could very well be some truth to that, gus. They dropped my cat off at the farm and said it ran away and dropped me off at soccer practice... They were probably at home the whole time cooking up a wild story of a kidnapping or something to explain my absence... I have to go make a few phone calls

I just remembered what use to terrify me as a child!

My mother taking me to the Automatic car wash......I was terrified I would get crushed in the car under the big scrubbing brushes and that I would drown in all that water, and the noise of the water and the brushes hitting the car just helped to triple that fear!

good thing you had you scuba gear on.

Maybe that's WHY she has scuba gear on!

I'm picturing a little girl sitting in the back seat of a chair, entering the car wash, with her wearing a wet suit, mask and all that other stuff